My Secret To Making Perfect Meringue

Chocolate Pie

My husband loves chocolate pie. He says my chocolate pie tastes just like the ones his Grandmother used to make. I have discovered the way to make my meringue light and fluffy. The trick is you don’t want your egg whites too cold. Not right out of the fridge. I take my egg whites out of the refrigerator 15-20 minutes before I am ready to make the meringue. The chocolate pie doesn’t need to “rest” before you put the meringue on. Now I have to confess something. I rarely make my own pie crust. I prefer the frozen deep dish pie shells. And with this recipe you will need one.

I will walk you thru the steps. It really is quite simple to make a rich, delicious chocolate pie.

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar

5 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

1 frozen deep dish pie shell

Meringue:

4 egg whites

¼ cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

In a saucepan whisk together 2 cups of sugar, cocoa powder and flour.

 Add in evaporated milk and vanilla. Blend. Add egg yolks and butter into pan.

Heat on low, stirring constantly until butter is melted. (By the time your butter has melted, the sugar also will have dissolved somewhat so it won’t look as “grainy”).

With the pie shell on a cookie sheet, pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell and carefully place the pie on the center rack of your oven. Be careful, you will need a steady hand because the shell will be full!

Bake on center rack 50 minutes to one hour. This time will vary slightly depending on your oven. Pie is done when it is not “wobbly” when shaken.

When the pie has about 15 minutes left, you may start making the meringue. Beat egg whites on the highest setting until soft peaks form. (I judge mine on when I have to start scraping the egg whites down the side of the mixing bowl). Slowly add ¼ cup sugar, beating constantly. When the pie is out of the oven, spread the meringue on the pie. I use a spatula when spreading the meringue and I use a little “wrist action” to flick the meringue up so it has peaks.

When you have the meringue spread the way you would like it to look, return the pie to the oven until the meringue starts to turn golden. Usually about 10 minutes.

And there you have it! This pie is so rich and delicious. And if your family is like mine, this pie won’t last long!

Anna :)